A Chance Meeting
by fighting-dreamer179
Summary: Danny Phantom and Kakashi meet and encourage each other.


**A Chance Meeting**

Danny raced into the nearest shop, panting heavily. He's back! Dan was back from the Ghost Zone! Peering anxiously out of a window, Danny tried to calm his breathing so as not to draw attention to himself.

A silver-haired man in an olive green vest glanced his way. "Somone after you?" he asked nonchalantly.

Shaking his head furiously, Danny replied, "No! Of course not!" Howerver, even _he _knew that everything about these circumstances screamed "YES."

The customer obviously recognized this as well. Gripping Danny's arm, he turned the boy to face him, stating calmly, "Then why don't you go back outside?"

Unable to stop himself, Danny blurted, "I - I can't! Dan's after me again; I've got to be careful!" Glaring angrily at the silver-haired stranger, Danny pulled his arm free of the man's grip. "That means I can't leave here until he's long gone, but I don't suppose an old guy like you would know much about fighting."

Kakashi almost laughed aloud at the incredible irony of his statement.

Almost.

"I fought in a war when I was six. Does that count?" He probably could have killed himself right then for saying something so stupidly open.

Danny looded at him with new respect. Quickly speaking to cover up his mistake, Kakashie added, "Besides, I'm alot younger than I look." He forced a friendly smile beneath the black mask that hid half his face.

A ghostly roar echoed outside the building. "That's him," whispered Danny, fear evident in his voice. Kakashi marveled at this boy's ability to be so open with a total stranger, even though it was obvious he had gone through something devastating. Come to think of it, Kakashi thought, he was being uncharacteristically open himself. Maybe he was just fed up with keeping secrets all the time and was desperate to share them with someone who knew about secrets, too.

Kakashi shook himself mentally. You _know _something's wrong with you when you start psychoanalyzing yourself.

As the sound moved away into the distance, Danny let some of his tension subside. "Looks like the future me is after me once more," he commented to himself wryly. Kakashi was suprised by this. How could this boy possibly become a being with such a malevolent aura? It didn't make sense.

Danny looked over at him. Kakashi must have shown some of his surprise because the boy spoke."Shoot, I said that out loud, didn't I? Oh well. Basically an evil alternate me happened ten years in the future, which we fixed, so now he exists out of time. That probably makes no sense. Even if it did I doubt you'd want to be around the one who almost became the deadliest creature in the known universe. And I thought being half ghost was eventful enough." He sighed. Although his words were brave, he still looked hopefully at Kakashi, as if expecting a much-needed denial.

Kakashi gave it to him. "I doubt I'd mind."

Danny turned to face him, an incredulous expression on his face. "Really?"

Kakashi rubbed his left eye wearily. "Of course, Danny. Believe it or not, I do understand."

Danny looked at him, puzzled. Kakashi continued. "It's a long story, but several years ago a friend have me his eye when I lost my own. Although he's dead I still sometimes hear his voice. Sometimes it drives me nuts."

"Wait, your eye _talks _to you?" Danny doubted this was possible. Maybe he had misheard the guy.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But, unfortunately, it's true. Even in death he still tries to keep me in line," he said fondly.

Danny looked in surprise at the nin. This guy didn't seem to be the open and friendly type. Seriously, the guy wears a mask for crying out loud! He probably doesn't have many friends, so why pick him? Why was he so special?

No sooner had Danny finished these thoughts than Kakashi began to explain. "Obito was - determined. No matter what, he kept trying to beat me, convinced that any day he would get his Sharingan." He stopped momentarily to clear the emotion from his voice. Shinobi rule twenty-five. "And he did, you know, on the day he died."

Danny awkwardly tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry."

Kakashi smiled humorlessly at him. "Obito died saving _me,_ actually." He saw the shock on Danny's face. "That's right. I couldn't see out of my left eye because earlier in the mission I made a mistake, which the enemy took advantage of." His fists tightened imperceptibly. "So the rocks that fell came in my blind spot. Obito - " he paused, fighting past emotions again. Rule twenty-five. "Obito pushed me out of the way and was crushed instead of me. The last thing he ever did was to give me his eye as a birthday present. Kakashi's hand reached toward his face. "Ever since that day I've been unable to turn off the Sharingan. That's what this is." Pulling back the hitaiate, he exposed his left eye. A huge scar ran dawn his face from where the enemy ninja had slashed him. The most astonishing thing, however, was the color. Kakashi's eye was blood red, three small specks of darkness spinning slowly within. Entranced, Danny was unable to pull away.

Kakashi pushied the hitaiate back down, breaking the spell. "So that's my story." Laughing self-consciously, Kakashi stood up. "You know, I never really talk to people about this kind of suff, so I have no idea why I'm starting now."

Danny looked at his feet, deep in thought. "You know, sometimes I have problems too, but I also have friends who are there for me. Without them, I don't know if I'd still be the same person I am today."

Kakashi studied at him carefully. It was obvious that Danny was talking about Dan, and maybe something else, too. Vaguely wondering what that was, Kakashi sighed. "There's no use worrying over it. What's done is done, and we can't change that."

As Danny took this in, his expression became determined. "I don't know about you, but Dan will never get me! He _can't!_ There's too much at stake. It's my job to protect my family, friends, and - well, it's my job to be the hero! Just because my evil alternate future self is after me doesn't mean that I can give in!" During this speech he hit his hand with his fist emphatically. "I have to protect them! After all, if I don't, who will? If I don't, they'll...die." His voice died down as he spoke those last few words.

Kakashi inspected the boy once more. Interestingly enough, his situation reminded him faintly of his own past, which was funny because the were nothing alike. This boy repeatedly put his life in danger - for his _family._ He hid his secret from them every day and every time they weren't looking, he was saving them again. Danny was profoundly different from most kids his age.

Chuckling, Kakashi ruffled the indignant boy's hair almost affectionately. "You would have been a great student."

Danny smiled hesitantly. "Thanks, for, you know..." He glanced away, embarrassed. "Thanks for listening."

Kakashi nodded. "Same here." In the distance a clock chimed. "Good luck, Danny. Perhaps we'lll meet again someday." The ghost boy grinned. "I'd like that," he said as the silver-haired ninja strode down the street. As he went, Kakashi promised himself never to forget the heroic teenager who helped him when he needed it most.


End file.
